Polish suggestions for heavily eroded/oxidated wheels

jgh1987

jgh1987

New member
My friend has these 22" chrome wheels that are always sprayed by his yard sprinklers quite often. The finish has gotten eroded very heavily and you can actually see green mineral deposits growing in places like the center cap and such. I gave them a real good polishing via Flitz with powerball which improved them tremendously. But I was wondering what polishes/cutting compounds could take it even farther to the next step. The Flitz did a nice job but there is definitely room for improvement of the finish. I have pics from when they were mildly eroded but it doesnt really do them justice. How agressive are the Wenol twins? Ive been wanting to pick them up and it would be great if that is what would do the job. I sealed them with PBWS after I polished btw. Tell me what you think

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I would try a chemical polish to help remove the rest of the water spots. I wouldn't use anything with cutting abilities though. You don't want to scratch the finish on the wheels.
 
If they're chrome wheels, any acid based wheel cleaner for chrome wheels will do the trick -- You might even be able to remove all the spots with plain white vinegar. Heads up on the acid -- the green many times is caused by the chemical reaction with the copper under the chrome; meaning there is likely a chip or a scratch through the chrome somewhere. If this is the case, acid will eat through the copper causing the chrome to eventually flake and many times the centercap is plastic and may stain.

(for those who are asking "copper -- wha??" chrome will not bond to aluminum thus Aluminum rims are plated in copper then chrome)
 
dr_detail,

your right. the center caps are plastic, and thats where the green deposits were growing.
 
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